DD dropped standard in yr3 compared to yr2, should I be concerned?

[itsabongthing]

End of year 2 and dd was working at age related expectation for reading and maths, and greater depth for writing. Teacher said she was on the verge of greater depth for maths.

End of year 3 her report says working at age related expectations for all 3 so technically she has come down a bit.

I wasn’t fussed initially, report was fine although I got no sense from it about her character, her strengths and weaknesses etc just felt like it was full of stock phrases,

Am I doing her a disservice by not mentioning the ‘drop’? Should I be concerned? Would you talk to the teacher about this, and if so, ask what?

Unless they actually got exceeding last year (which you seem to say was insinuated rather than given?) you can't say she isn't working at the same level still - dd's teacher said she is at the top of the expected group but by end of the year is still expected and hasn't made the leap. There is a spectrum for each level so I'd not worry about it too much. We've got kids being tutored in y3 (Kent test area) which skews who gets what IMO. Main thing to look for is behaviour and attitude to learning as a predictor.

She hasn't "dropped", the expectations have increased and she hasn't quite kept pace with them. Just have a quick word with her new teacher in September, say you are keen to support your daughter and is there anything you can do to help. Children are not linear beings, they ebb and flow and the progress they make will do the same. Think of it as a marathon and not a sprint!

Sorry I wasn’t clear - it was exceeding for writing.

I wasn’t going to say anything originally, just now I’m doubting myself and whether I should. I guess it comes in the context of not being sure if she’s had a good year and a few seeds of doubt about the school and this years teacher.

I'd also say KS2 is harder and kids can sometimes seem to stall for a term or two. Chat to the teacher if you are overly worried, but I suspect your DD is fine and maybe on the top end of the expected group which might have got smaller with the difficulty ramping up.

I think reports are usually just stock phrases. Conversely for me this is the first year I feel the teacher has actually bothered to get to know dd and we had a very full and detailed report for the first time!

I really don't think she has dropped. The difficulty has increased in ks2, so it's not easy for your dc anymore. And many who has done well in ks1 start to be taken over by the ones who have clicked in ks2. I definitely have seen that happen, especially the older ones in the class aren't doing so well like they used to do, compared to younger summer born anymore.

And the truth is, those who are really exceeding, they don't drop, but keep exceeding, even the requirement got harder, imo.

I've always understood that Year 3 can be a "stalling" year for some kids. Those that have done well from reception year are caught up by those kids in their year who have taken longer for things to click, but who now 'get' school. I agree with the comment about the ebb and flow. Your child has done really well at primary so far. Please don't get hung up on the need to always exceed expectations. It is , as spaniel says, a marathon, not a sprint. You will also always get teachers that your child and you work better with than others. So please don't go back to the school and use the perceived drop in your child's levels as an excuse to whinge about a teacher and a school you have 'seeds of doubt about which won't have been planted just as a result of this report.

I won’t at all be whingeing about the teacher.
I want to support them and not be a parent that makes life harder for them as I recognise what a difficult climate they’re working in,
But I worry about my middle child. She’s quiet and easily overlooked. I don’t want my desire to be a nice parent and not cause any problems for the teachers/take up their time, to come before making sure she is getting the best out of school. Who else is going to advocate for her if I don’t.
The school has had a bit of a rough patch with some negative ofsted reports. Some parents have bailed, I’m sticking with it but sometimes worry I’m not doing the right thing for my 3.
I appreciate the reassurances, I might have a quick word but certainly won’t be kicking up a stink or anything!

As a teacher, I would be talking to parents if a child dropped from greater depth/exceeding to age related, particularly if greater depth has been given at year 2.

A direct comparison will be made when the child is in year 6, particularly by Ofsted. We were asked to justify every child who had dropped between year 2 and year 6, amd had prepared case studies on them.

I don’t think you’ve got anything to be concerned about. She hasn’t really dipped for anything expect writing. She could still be in the verge of greater depth for maths, just not quite there yet. The slight dip for writing could be due to the different expectations for writing in y3, or could be down to the individual teachers interpretation of what greater depth looks like.

She’s meeting expectations in all areas, so that’s something to be pleased about. If you’re still concerned at parents evening you could chat about it then, but I would go into school especially.

I think it’s a legitimate question to ask. The teacher should be fully aware that she’s dropped from exceeding to expected in writing, and should be able to explain why. I would want to know, if it were my child.

They will probably say the y2 assessment wasn’t correct. That isn’t a new situation. In some schools the y3 teachers moderate the y2 assessments so there is consistency. The y3 teacher could be conservative in assessment. This means she could now make great progress between y4-6. The school will then be doing a great job! Some of these judgements are down to interpretation. Especially writing.

I'd mention it to her new teacher at parent's evening in the autumn term (if there isn't one, ask for a word at some other time). The school will need to pull her up before year six sats and if you flag it to the year four teacher now she's likely to get additional support to bring her back to where she should be.

Have exactly the same situation as you OP. My quiet child was completely overlooked this year, whereas in yr2 the teacher took more time to challenge her and she rose to that challenge.

I plan to raise it with her yr 4 teacher.

As a teacher I would raise it. Your child has not made 'good' progress in Y3. That is the expectation - GD in Y2=GD in Y3. With the negative Ofsted report I would want to know a clear reason. She should not drop unless there is an impressive reason.

I had a similar experience with DS. Separate Infants and Primary schools, the Infants is outstanding where as Primary not so good. At the start of year 3 I was told he is above average in English and Maths (I knew this already as I had been told in Infants), and for maths he would be assessed for the G&T programme. By the end of the year I was told he is below average! Such a big drop.

He has finished year 4 this week and I feel he has had a really crappy year, his report states he is average for maths and reading but below average in writing. A few weeks ago the teacher had a quiet word with him about his exceptional knowledge in Geography and about being assessed for the G&T programme. Again, not heard anything after that. I feel year 4 has been a total waste - he has lost all motivation and drive to do well in school. He's always been so competitive and a perfectionist in his work and that's gone. The teacher was absent for the first term so had a revolving door of supply teachers. DS has anxiety and hated not knowing who would be in Monday morning. It unsettled a lot of the children in his class.

Their homework was hardly marked all year, when I brought it up with the teacher I was told the TA who marks it is off sick. So DS moaned and groaned every weekend, asking why he needs to do it if it won't be marked! I feel all the school cares about is attendance, their Rights Respecting thingy, and an obession with Arts. Basically anything to make them look outstanding for OFSTED. I really hope year 5 is better..